The majority of certified LXI instruments (about 56 percent as of January 2, 2013) are power supplies. Additionally, the latest specification, Version 1.4, changed the hierarchy of device grouping. Previous versions of the standard organized LXI-compliant devices into three classes: A, B, and C. Specification Versions Versus Technologies and Features

LAN Configuration Initialize (LCI) - Factory Default Reset For example, a digital multimeter (DMM) model from Agilent, the 34411A, conforms to the LXI 1.0 specification. Although this DMM is LXI compliant, it does not offer the features of later LXI specifications such as a connection LED on the instrument face or LAN Configuration Initialization (LCI), the option to restore the device to factory defaults. Similarly, the ways that networked computers discover LXI compliant devices vary depending on which versions of the standard the devices comply. Table 1 outlines some of the different features and technologies available with different versions of the LXI specifications. Knowing exactly which specification a device complies with can help customers avoid possible setbacks. Engineers can refer to their device documentation to determine with which specifications their devices comply. Whether your device includes the latest technology depends on when your particular device was designed and tested and which specification was current at that time. These changes can affect performance, usability, and functionality.Īll versions of the specification document back to Version 1.1 are available for download from the LXI Consortium website. Over time numerous LXI specification changes have modified the back-end technologies used by LXI devices.

Even simple systems may need to interact with LAN-based systems and instruments, and the rules in the standard help solve this problem. LAN-based instruments and systems allow engineers to control test systems from a distance. Sometimes engineers must work with test systems at remote locations and trigger their tests over the Internet. To ensure interoperability, the LXI Consortium created the LXI standard as a guide for instrument vendors.Įach system’s requirements determine which buses are appropriate for that particular application. When the test and measurement industry adopted Ethernet as an instrumentation bus, it leveraged the benefits of existing LAN technology. With GPIB and serial communications, customers can automate the control of their instruments and test systems. Newer buses such as USB and Ethernet are giving customers additional options when choosing a bus to control their test systems. While the LXI Consortium advertises LXI as the successor to GPIB systems, GPIB is a rugged bus that is highly relied on and not likely to disappear in the foreseeable future. GPIB (the IEEE 488 standard) has been around for over 30 years and is a common bus for instrument control.

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